Judge Lois Haight of the Contra Costa Superior Court, Justice George Nicholson of the California Court of Appeal and James Rowland, former director of the California Department of Correction, each received a Pioneer Award for their quarter-century efforts on behalf of victims of crime.

Three Honored at Victims' Rights Conference

Three leaders in the victims’ rights movement were honored at a symposium marking the 25 th anniversary of the Victims Bill of Rights on March 21 at McGeorge.

Judge Lois Haight of the Contra Costa Superior Court, Justice George Nicholson of the California Court of Appeal and James Rowland, former director of the California Department of Correction, each received a Pioneer Award for their quarter-century efforts on behalf of victims of crime.

The awards came at the conclusion of a two-day conference, “Crime Victims’ Rights – The Third Wave,” that examined the enforcement of victims’ rights on the national stage. Professor Clark Kelso, the director of the McGeorge’s Capital Center for Government Law and Policy, and Julise Johanson, staff attorney of the law school-based Victims of Crime Resource Center, organized the symposium. Professor John Myers and Professor Ruth Jones were among the panel discussants. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, California District Attorneys Association, Office of the Governor-Crime Victim Advocate, and the Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board were co-sponsors of the event.